INDIANAPOLIS — A man was convicted of reckless homicide in the death of a woman whose body was found outside an east side business in 2021.
Justin Holman was also convicted of kidnapping in the death of 50-year-old Shanel Smith.
According to police, IMPD officers were called to an area near the corner of 38th St. and Mitthoeffer Road for an unresponsive person in February 2021.
Officers found the woman, then called for medics, who pronounced her dead. The coroner later identified her as Smith.
Police originally said there were no obvious signs of trauma. The coroner then classified the cause of death as "Environmental Cold Exposure" and added that it was a homicide.
Security video from a laundromat showed a vehicle pull behind the business at 4:16 p.m. on Feb. 18. A man, later identified as Holman, could be seen removing Smith from the back seat of the car and laying her in the snow.
“The defendant displayed a complete disregard for Ms. Smith’s life. I commend the efforts of our trial team and the investigators to ensure that justice was secured on her and her family’s behalf,” said Prosecutor Ryan Mears.
Sentencing for Holman is set for Dec. 15.
